The Cold Alpha's Black Lotus O Strategy Plan (GL) - Chapter 49

“We’re here.”

Jin Sique brought the car to a stop.

Lü Zhongcai made a soft sound of acknowledgment.

Jin Sique got out, walked around the front of the car, and opened the door for Lü Zhongcai. She bent down to support her.

“I…”

“Sique is back?”

A voice came from beyond the iron gates.

Aunt Guo looked extremely surprised. She immediately put aside the shears in her hand, hurried over, and linked arms with Jin Sique.

“You’re finally back!”

Jin Sique froze before Aunt Guo dragged her toward the entrance.

She looked back at Lü Zhongcai and hurriedly said, “Aunt Guo, I still need to—”

“Oh dear!” Aunt Guo exclaimed. “My robotic vacuum seems to be malfunctioning. You’re good with these things, so help me take a look…”

Lü Zhongcai remained where she was, watching Jin Sique disappear inside.

“You finally got her to come back. Aren’t you going inside to take a look?” 052 asked.

Lü Zhongcai thought for a moment, climbed into the driver’s seat, started the car, and sped away from Jingwan Villa.

Jin Sique heard the engine and turned around, only to see the rear of the car fleeing from sight at remarkable speed.

“…”

“I still have to go back…”

Jin Sique tried to explain.

“Aunt Guo…”

Aunt Guo hugged her arm and pulled her into the living room.

“Oh, the washing machine seems to be broken too. And the range hood—I keep feeling as though it’s no longer drawing out the smoke.”

“Sique, please take a look for Aunt Guo. Aunt Guo is already getting old…”

Jin Sique: “…”

Ten minutes later, Jin Sique was dressed in one-piece work overalls and kneeling beside the washing machine in the laundry room, repairing it.

“What happened to everything? How did several appliances break at once?”

Aunt Guo crouched beside her.

“Is something stuck inside?”

“It seems so…”

Jin Sique bent forward, half her body entering the washing machine drum.

She removed the inner wall, took out several components, and found a brooch wedged in the jammed section.

Lü Zhongcai’s brooch?

“Oh dear, why is that in there?” Aunt Guo said. “Cai Cai really is something. Why didn’t she wait for me to clean everything?”

“Is the brooch damaged?”

Wearing gloves, Jin Sique brushed her fingertip across the gem embedded in its surface.

The jewel reflected her eyes and brows.

She examined it carefully.

“It’s fine.”

“A few days ago, she washed an entire load of woolen clothes… They all shrank.”

“She returned extremely late after working overtime one night. I was already asleep, so she went to the kitchen to find something to eat.”

“There was nothing there. She tried heating milk in the microwave by herself and blew it up.”

“And regarding her leg, I’ve told her repeatedly that she should use the driver, but she simply refuses.”

“The family doctor came to examine her a few days ago and even scolded her.”

“…”

Jin Sique put away the brooch and began reassembling the washing machine.

As Aunt Guo continued talking, Jin Sique became slightly dazed.

It was as though she could see Lü Zhongcai in this very room several days earlier, stuffing clothes and bedding into the machine all at once.

The washing machine rattled violently several times before abruptly dying.

She could also imagine Lü Zhongcai standing in the kitchen with her arms folded, waiting for the milk.

The microwave suddenly exploded, and Lü Zhongcai instinctively frowned with a grave expression.

—

The problem with the microwave was minor.

Jin Sique repaired it quickly, wiped the interior clean, and tested it again.

The appliance gave a clear ding.

Jin Sique nodded.

“It’s fixed.”

Aunt Guo leaned closer to look.

“Oh, it truly is.”

Jin Sique smiled and removed the gloves from both hands.

“Is there anything else?”

Aunt Guo slapped her forehead.

“There’s also the dog. The dog is broken too!”

Jin Sique froze.

“The present I gave her?”

On International Women’s Day, Jin Sique had given Lü Zhongcai a robotic dog.

It had been a project from the handicrafts club she joined the previous semester.

After giving it away, she rarely saw the robotic dog anywhere in the house and assumed it had been thrown into storage.

“Xiao Wang takes it for a walk every day,” Aunt Guo said with a smile. “Cai Cai instructed him to.”

With a small screwdriver tucked behind her ear, Jin Sique lowered her head and examined the electronic dog’s leg.

“Mm. Several components have come loose and worn down. I’ll reinstall them and apply some oil. Then it should be fine.”

“All right, all right. I’ll prepare dinner.”

Aunt Guo walked toward the kitchen.

“Sique, stay here tonight.”

“Hmm? Aunt Guo, I…”

Jin Sique hesitated.

Aunt Guo drew her brows together.

“Don’t say no. Consider it keeping Aunt Guo company.”

“Care for a lonely elderly woman whose children have left home, all right?”

“…”

Jin Sique sighed and concentrated on repairing the robotic dog.

Aunt Guo repeatedly peeked out from the kitchen entrance.

Seeing Jin Sique’s focused expression, she finally felt confident enough to take out her phone and send Lü Zhongcai a message.

It’s settled.

Lü Zhongcai received the message and swiped it aside with one finger, continuing to focus on the meeting.

“What does that mean?” 052 asked unhappily.

“What understanding did you reach with Aunt Guo?”

052 continued questioning her.

“You don’t truly like the black lotus, do you? She’s our enemy! You—”

Lü Zhongcai had long since trained herself to automatically block out 052’s voice.

Only after the meeting ended and she returned to the president’s office did she finally answer.

“No.”

“Keep lying. Go ahead,” 052 said. “You insist on protecting your pride even while suffering.”

Someone knocked on the door.

The executive assistant entered and submitted the meeting minutes.

“President Lü, Wall Street asked whether you could spare ten minutes later to discuss the personnel selection for Africa.”

Lü Zhongcai checked the time.

Evening was approaching outside the window, and lights had already begun appearing throughout the surrounding towers.

“Contact the driver. Schedule the meeting for ten tonight. I’ll join punctually.”

The executive assistant froze before understanding that Lü Zhongcai did not intend to work overtime at the office today. She would attend the online meeting from home instead.

“Yes.”

Lü Zhongcai tidied her desk, closed her computer, and left the office.

She repeatedly checked her watch.

As she entered the elevator, she sent Aunt Guo a message.

“Oh, she’s waiting for you to have dinner,” 052 said. “Incredible, President. You’re the most devoted supporting character I’ve ever encountered.”

Lü Zhongcai sat in the back seat.

The driver bent down and closed the door for her.

“They were merely dreams. They lack credibility.”

“I’ve accurately predicted the black lotus’s actions before. When will you finally accept reality?”

052 was so angry she nearly choked, frustrated by Lü Zhongcai’s refusal to improve.

“Fine. Starting today, I won’t say another word.”

“You need to suffer before you’ll understand that all of this is real.”

“Mm,” Lü Zhongcai replied.

052: “…”

“Don’t come crying and begging me later!” 052 shouted.

Without even lifting her head, Lü Zhongcai said, “I won’t.”

052: “…”

“Fuck!”

052 finally snapped and began cursing.

—

“You’re back?”

Upon hearing the car, Jin Sique was already instinctively waiting at the entrance.

“Mm.”

Lü Zhongcai’s expression was stern and distant.

Jin Sique took out her house shoes and placed them before her.

She then handed Lü Zhongcai a cloth to wipe her hands, removed her coat, shook it out, and hung it up—or handed it to Aunt Guo while considering whether it needed ironing or cleaning.

Jin Sique felt somewhat lost.

It seemed that whenever she entered a space containing Lü Zhongcai, she unconsciously assumed the role of a wife.

An Omega born to care for her Alpha.

Lü Zhongcai walked toward the living room.

Noticing that Jin Sique had not followed, she turned around.

“What’s wrong?”

Jin Sique shook her head.

“Nothing. Shall we eat?”

Dinner had already been set out.

Aunt Guo was absent, so Jin Sique casually took over the tasks of serving Lü Zhongcai food and moving her bowl closer.

“You…”

A phone began ringing.

Lü Zhongcai raised a hand, signaling for her to wait, then walked to the window to answer a work call.

Jin Sique’s gaze settled upon the unfinished food in Lü Zhongcai’s bowl.

She waited for several minutes.

When the call showed no sign of ending, she put down her chopsticks and waited attentively.

A WeChat notification appeared.

It was from the young woman she had added earlier that day.

Jin Sique opened the conversation.

The previous message was a sticker of the young woman crying in disappointment.

Above it was the response Lü Zhongcai had written on Jin Sique’s behalf:

I’m married.

Jin Sique’s gaze darkened.

The corner of her mouth pulled into a mocking smile as she examined the newest message.

I don’t believe you.

Jin Sique replied:

What don’t you believe?

It was like a signal.

Jin Sique seemed to be walking along the edge of ambiguity. One step forward led into gray, while one step backward returned her to white.

Her reply provided more than enough encouragement for the woman to continue flirting.

As expected, the woman became extremely excited.

You definitely aren’t married. You look twenty at most—even younger than me.

Resting her chin on one hand, Jin Sique opened the woman’s Moments out of boredom.

There were several selfies. She looked reasonably attractive.

Most of the other posts, however, consisted of her insulting someone’s code for resembling a pile of shit or complaining that someone else knew only how to create bugs.

A programmer?

What connection did she have with Lü Zhongcai and LE Capital?

Jin Sique did not understand the industry and could only guess.

Lü Zhongcai ended the call.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

“Have you finished talking?”

Jin Sique put down her phone.

“I was waiting for you.”

Lü Zhongcai froze.

She seemed to notice something.

Picking up her chopsticks, she placed some food in Jin Sique’s bowl.

“Eat.”

Jin Sique acknowledged her.

Only after watching Lü Zhongcai finish the food she had placed in her bowl earlier did Jin Sique begin eating again.

“I’m sleeping in the bedroom tonight.”

When dinner ended, Lü Zhongcai wiped her mouth with a tissue and spoke to Jin Sique.

Jin Sique froze and watched her leave the dining table for the bedroom.

Was that a signal?

Jin Sique stood and absentmindedly cleared away the dishes.

Her head felt swollen and confused.

She had never considered whether they should continue maintaining a physical relationship.

Why?

She had already decided to distance herself from Lü Zhongcai and gradually desensitize herself to her presence.

Then why did Lü Zhongcai continually give her the illusion that she was actively moving closer?

Jin Sique frowned and placed the bowls and chopsticks into the dishwasher.

Its polished surface reflected her rather unpleasant expression.

After thinking for a moment, she forcefully closed it.

She rubbed between her brows and adjusted her expression before going upstairs.

Lü Zhongcai had already showered.

Wearing a bathrobe, she stood before the mirror and dried her hair.

Jin Sique knocked and entered.

“Would you like me to help?”

“There’s no need,” Lü Zhongcai answered calmly.

Jin Sique nodded and placed the nightclothes in her arms on the rack outside the shower.

The scent of gunpowder pheromones drifting through the air made her feel slightly dizzy.

“I filled the bathtub for you,” Lü Zhongcai said.

She put down the hair dryer, pulled the door closed, and left the bathroom.

Only then did Jin Sique slowly relax.

She peeled the scent-blocking patch from the back of her neck and threw it into the trash.

After briefly rinsing herself beneath the shower, she sank into the bathtub to relax.

Lü Zhongcai seemed to be on the phone outside, discussing work.

Jin Sique swept her hair backward, revealing features dampened by water, and stared thoughtfully at the ceiling.

Her phone vibrated.

It was still the persistent young woman.

Would you consider dating a Beta?

Jin Sique laughed softly.

She wanted to say that once an Omega had experienced an Alpha, it would naturally become difficult to accept an ordinary, unremarkable Beta.

Of course, Jin Sique replied.

Love has nothing to do with gender.

Jin Sique remained in the bath for a long time.

She browsed Weibo and online forums until Lü Zhongcai finally ended the call outside.

Only then did Jin Sique rise from the bathtub.

Water streamed down with her movements, while her long hair clung to her body like seaweed left behind by the receding tide.

She gathered her hair and wrung it out.

Water pattered continuously onto the floor.

At exactly ten o’clock, Lü Zhongcai opened her computer and entered the online meeting room.

“Zhongcai?”

Lü Zhongcai turned around.

After taking a single look, she immediately slammed the laptop screen shut.